It is summer. Everyone here at bradenbell.com breathes a huge sigh of relief. Life gets pretty crazy at Mockingbird Cottage during the school year and summer is the time we catch our breath and get reacquainted with each other. There is a palpable sense of relief right now and we can pause the marathon sprint that is normally our life.

Last night, I went to a work function and ate barbecue and potato salad and banana pudding. Then I went home and watched the fireflies and listened to the frogs and crickets. And I remembered how much I love summer in the south.